South Korea’s ruling Saenuri Party is finally splitting, with about a quarter of its 128 lawmakers having declared their defection Wednesday to create a new political group. 

A total of 31 lawmakers from the country’s only major conservative party gathered early in the morning at the National Assembly to announce their abandonment of party membership. Four more are set to follow suit, they revealed.

“We decided to part from the fake conservatives and agreed to establish a new core to lead true conservative politics,” Rep. Hwang Young-cheul, representing the rebel group, said in a press meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul. Their defections, however, are not immediately effective, as they picked next Tuesday as the date for their departure.  

The move came as the factional feud reached its peak in the governing bloc following the parliamentary impeachment of President Park Geun-hye. While the Saenuri Party’s leadership remains loyal to Park, their opponents, belonging to the “non-Park” faction, have been demanding an overhaul of the party to regain voter trust.

This is the party’s first major splintering since its establishment and is likely to spark significant changes in South Korea’s political landscape ahead of the 2017 presidential election.

There were similar attempts by lawmakers to quit and establish new political parties in both the liberal and conservatives wings in 1995 and 1997, but the numbers did not reach the minimum requirement of 20 needed to form a negotiation body at the National Assembly. 

The leaving party members include sixth-term lawmaker and former head of the ruling Saenuri Party Rep. Kim Moo-sung and former Floor Leader Rep. Yoo Seong-min, whom the defecting group tried to place as the chief of the party’s emergency planning committee before the loyalist leadership rejected the notion.

Rep. Kim asked forgiveness for disappointing the citizens and fellow party members for supporting President Park in the first place.

“I have always believed Korea will change if the conservative party is warm and righteous. But I have decided that such revolution is impossible in the current Saenuri Party,” said Rep. Yoo, adding that he seeks to start a new “honorable” party.

The remaining lawmakers loyal to Park strongly condemned the defecting members’ decision, calling it a “groundless and cowardly move.”

Pro-Park Floor Leader Chung Woo-taik also showed disappointment.

“I am sorry the non-Park faction decided to leave the party, and particularly disappointed that Rep. Yoo had not talked about this with me before,” he said. “I will do my best to persuade those who announced their decision to leave before Tuesday.”

Chung was elected as the floor leader last week, beating Rep. Na Kyong-won from the non-Park faction.

If a new political party is formed, it would be the first time since 1988 there have been four main political parties, with the two major liberal parties -- the Democratic Party of Korea and People’s Party -- and conservative Saenuri Party.

Regarding the defecting proportional representatives who would lose their Assembly seat by seceding from the party, Rep. Hwang requested the Saenuri Party leadership cancel their party membership, which would allow them to retain their positions.

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)